Chapter 3: Page 7
Seeing birds flying above a major traveling route delivering messages to and fro isn’t an uncommon sight in the world of Beyond the Western Deep, especially since it’s still the fastest method of transmitting information across great distances. Of course, WE have a pretty good idea of what message that raven is carrying based on where it’s coming from, but nobody in the caravan has ANY idea.
That one bird is about to make things a lot more complicated. Speaking of complicated, have any of you ever had to move cross-country? Man, even when a lot of the complexities are removed (ArenaNet recommended a solid move coordinator and is helping with the moving costs), it’s still a little insane to organize and plan everything. I’m amazed some people can do this multiple times over their lives — it speaks to a level of personal ease and surety that I’m still working toward.
Anyway, enough of my complaining — because we’ve got some great guest art this week by Elson Wong! This piece features our favorite traveling caravan pair taking a breather for… what else? SOME TEA! Theo would be proud :)
To quote Elson from his DA page:
“I’ve been meaning to draw Mitra – my latest favourite character from the Beyond the Western Deep series. But it wouldn’t be the same without Janik in there… So I was thinkin’ – “what would they be doing together when they need some time out?” I immediately thought of a teacher and her student having tea in the streets with a Middle-Eastern vibe thrown in there to keep it in check with the local setting.”
I also love Cain and Yurk making their little cameo appearance back there. I know it seems they’ve been relegated to “professional extras” in our backgrounds, but trust me when I say Jerome and I have some big plans for Cain and Yurk, so hang in there. The Nessian Bros will get another day in the sun sometime down the line!
And Elson, I love how you draw our characters — it’s such a cool style and the little details are fantastic. Things like the grains in the wooden table and the writing in Mitra’s book, I really love seeing that kind of attention paid.
And if you’re interested in seeing the creation process for this wonderful piece, look no further — Elson’s put together a great little step-by-step for folks to check out.
See you next week!
Fitting that it’s a raven as well. I wont lie, but it’s been aching patiently waiting to see how this part of the story will transpire and I’m just eagerly excited to see just how “complicated” this tale will go. *Also inb4 Cain and Yurk being relevant BWD cast members*
I love Elson’s piece. It’s crisp, it’s vibrant, it’s characteristic and it’s beautifully rendered. The textures are super delicious and I just love how it’s all stylized. If Volume 2 gets a hardback print…I’m all for the idea of including this image in the fan art section mhmm!
Yay! First Responder to the Salmon Party this week! (Unless someone else is typing and posting even as I type this.)
The “Who uses ravens?” line can’t but help make me think of Nick’s “Who listens to CDs anymore?” line from “Zootopia” … and just as there was a Mr. Big behind the answer to our favorite fox’s question, there are Big Things behind Mitra’s query as well!
“Could be from Deltrada!” Janik muses with perhaps a tad too much enthusiasm. Be careful what you wish for, my squirrely dear!
Another great pages of the sort that, for years now, has kept me reading and reading and reading and reading and …
And, Veigue beat me. Guess he gets the “More Dedicated Reader Than I Award”
for this week. Maybe next week!
Oh no! I didn’t mean to take any awards from you! You can have this back!
Also I can jus imagine what that letter says.
“Got invaded by vermin, sunsgrove captain team killed us, lol we can go to war now P.S Suck it Cenolau”
oh boy… that raven is gonna be the one of the many things that makes 2E 249 one of the worst years in Dunian history…
anyway, nice art! kudos to Rachel and Elson for the awesome coloring and textures!
Oh! Oh!!
I know who Mitra’s voice actress is! It’s Shohreh Aghdashloo!
Fight me!
*opens letter*
“lmao ermehn tried 2 start a revolution XD clovis is afk but i can chat rn” –Tosch
mitra: wait what
(Alex, shouting in the background) “Twitter wasn’t invented yet! you got bird mail! stick to the script!”
sorry! that was for Tronn! my mistake
Hey, it’s called Twitter for a reason!
” ‘sup my Vulpin bros it’s Tosch if u c any Tamien plz kill them LOL j/k brb
PS not kidding”
*seen*
Well that solves the issue of the timing of the events. Looks like our part is going to have an interesting reception once they reach their destination. It makes me wonder where the timeline for SotES fits in. Surely the Canid assassins wouldn’t strike before they got the news from Deltrada, so perhaps that event happens that night?
Well, that is certainly not the happy news they believe it is. The party is in for a ride. Lovely guest fan art, Elson! I hope everyone is doing well as the holiday season progresses.
Mitra: “Who uses ravens?”
Me: “Oh, no. Saruman has tricked Radaghast into lending him his birds as “mensengers”, when in truth he is using them to find the Ring-Bearer!”
Janik: “The Canid.”
Me: “Oh.”
It’s likely some kind of declaration of war, I bet.
From: Canid Supreme General Tosch
To: All Foreign Agents of the Traitorous Nation of Sunsgrove
Subject: We’re coming for you.
To all you foul, cowardly rodents and weasels,
Due to the betrayal and murder of my dear brother at the hand of your Captain Kenosh, it is my gleeful duty to announce that a state of war now exists between our glorious nation and all of you pitiful scoundrels. I have decided to commemorate this event by dispatching my best assassins to cull each and every one of you foreign operators out of existence. Prepare yourselves, though you know not when your end will come. Your fear gives us strength.
-Tosch
From: Assistant Ambassador to Navran Janik
To: Canid Supreme General Tosch
Subject: RE: We’re coming for you.
>:(
-Janik
From: Captain Kenosh, Lutren Sea Guard
To: General Tosch
Subject: ??
New bird, who dis?
-K
From: General Tosch
To: Captain Kenosh
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I’m MLG
1V1 me
-Tosch
Alternate Reply:
From: Canid Supreme General Tosch
To: Captain Kenosh, Lutren Sea Guard
Subject: I shall taunt you another time!
Come face me yourself, coward!
Your mother was a Polcan and your father smells of danberries!
-Tosch
I’m just gonna say that maybe they just ran out of other birds to deliver the message and sooner or later it would be misinterpreted as a declaration of war. By the way, I just need to say that its not twitter, its Messenger in Facebook. its cannon as seen in the conversations. Just saying (It was fun seeing the conversations going through though, especially the shortcut messages used nowadays. That was hilarious)
I wanted to compliment you on your drawings, mister Spooky Scary Skeleton. They are very creative and colorful. Also, I’m a sucker for crossovers.
And it’s canon, not cannon.
Cannon is a big gunpowder-based artillery weapon.
Canon is a text that is accepted by the Church as an actual part the Scriptures.
The more you know, etc. etc. etc.